Does Sam’s Club Take Apple Pay? Find Out Now!

Sam’s Club is an American chain of warehouse stores founded in 1983 by Walmart. With 599 locations, they are the largest membership-only warehouse club in the United States. They are best known for selling low-priced groceries, gas, home products, clothing, health and beauty products, jewelry, electronics, pharmaceuticals, tires, batteries, and glasses to Sam’s Club members. Sam’s Club has 599 warehouse club locations across the United States, with 36,000 employees. But does Sam’s Club take Apple Pay?

Answered: Does Sam’s Club Take Apple Pay?

No, Sam’s Club does not take Apple Pay in their stores, through their mobile app, or online. Sam’s Club does not accept Apple Pay for gas purchases at the pump, either.

Here is confirmation straight from Sam’s Club that Apple Pay is not an accepted payment method.

Why Does Sam’s Club Not Take Apple Pay?

Do you wish that Sam’s Club accepted Apple Pay and wonder why they don’t take it?

The reason Sam’s Club doesn’t take Apple Pay is straightforward: Sam’s Club wants their shoppers who would normally use Apple Pay to try out the features in Sam’s Club mobile app instead.

The app is excellent and includes all of your Sam’s Club membership perks, such as coupons, discounts, special offers, free shipping, and information on the latest savings events and new items. It also has a nifty feature called ‘Scan and Go’ that changes the whole Sam’s Club shopping experience. Scan and Go lets you scan your items while shopping, pay through the app, and bypass the checkout lines. Try Scan and Go out if you have not already. It improves the Sam’s Club shopping experience.

Introduction to Apple Pay

Apple Pay is an easy-to-use, contactless payment method that works with Apple devices like your iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. You can think of Apple Pay as transforming your physical Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover, and other credit and debit cards into a contactless card. Your iPhone or Apple Watch then becomes a contactless credit card. You can use it at checkout in stores, through apps, or on the web. It’s a safe, secure mobile payment system.

Gone are the days of waiting for change or putting your card inside a dirty credit card terminal. Instead, hold your Apple device over a near field communications (NFC) card reader for a contactless payment experience. Apple Pay is a mobile payment method for the modern world.

Why Isn’t Apple Pay Accepted Everywhere?

Apple Pay works at more than 2.5 million retail locations in the U.S., covering 85% of all U.S. merchants. Stores that accept Apple Pay include warehouse clubs, top merchants, grocery stores, restaurants, big-box locations, pharmacies, gas stations, and apps from some of America’s most popular brands. That said, 15% of stores, Sam’s Club and Walmart, still don’t accept Apple Pay’s contactless payment solution. Unfortunately, even though Apple Pay is a significant player in mobile payments and contact-free technology improves the shopping experience, there are still holdouts. How do you know if your favorite stores take Apple Pay?

How can you check if a store takes Apple Pay?

Finding out if a store accepts Apple Pay can be a challenge. You could ask the cashier or search online, but it’s still a hassle either way. Luckily, Apple makes it easy to find out what retailers accept Apple Pay.

To find out if a store takes Apple Pay, open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone. Next, search for the store location and scroll down to the “Useful to Know” section below the store’s website address. If you see the Apple Pay logo or a checkmark next to “Accepts Apple Pay,” then you know that the store accepts Apple Pay!

What grocery stores take Apple Pay?

While Apple users love Apple Pay, not every grocery store accepts it as a payment method. Here is a list of grocery stores that take Apple Pay in the U.S.A.: Albertsons, Aldi, Costco, Cub Foods, Family Dollar, Food Lion, FoodMaxx, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Lucky Supermarkets, Meijer, QFC, Sam’s Club, Shaw’s, Sprouts, Stop and Shop, Trader Joe’s, United Supermarkets, Whole Foods, and Winn-Dixie. CVS and Walgreens, who stock some food items, also take Apple Pay.

What Forms of Payment Does Sam’s Club Accept?

Sam’s Club purchases can be paid for using a Sam’s Club Mastercard credit card, Visa cards, Mastercard, Discover cards, American Express cards, debit cards, Walmart and Sam’s Club gift cards, SNAP EBT cards, and cash. Apple Pay and Google Pay are not accepted.

If you’re interested in saving more money, the Sam’s Club Mastercard will earn Plus members 5% in cash rewards for all eligible purchases made at Sam’s Club. If you’re not a  Sam’s Club Plus member, the basic membership will still earn you 3% cash rewards on club purchases, 5% on gas purchases at the club (up to a cap of $6,000), 3% on dining, and 1% on all other purchases. The card has no annual fee, and new cardholders will receive a sign-up bonus of $30 paid as a statement credit after opening spending $30 in 30 days.

How Do You Use Apple Pay at Stores That Accept It?

Although Sam’s Club doesn’t take Apple Pay as a payment method, many other stores do. Ready to check out at a store that accepts Apple Pay?

First, have you set up Apple Pay on your iPhone or Apple Watch? If you already have set it up, you can skip to the later section; otherwise, read on.

How To Setup Apple Pay on Your iPhone or Apple Watch

To set up Apple Pay on your iPhone, go to the ‘Settings’ section and select ‘Wallet & Apple Pay.’

1. Next, select ‘Add Card.’ Press ‘Continue’ and select the payment type you want to use.
2. Now, add your credit card or debit card details by either holding your iPhone over your credit card until it successfully reads your credit card numbers, or you can enter the credit card details manually. Your choice.
3. Then, agree to Apple’s terms and complete any required credit card verification steps.
4. Your card will now be in your Apple Wallet App, and you are ready to use Apple Pay.

To set up Apple Pay on your Apple Watch, you will need to use your linked iPhone to complete the process, so have it handy.

1. Using your linked iPhone, open your ‘Apple Watch’ app.
2. Next, tap ‘Wallet & Apple Pay.’
3. Now, tap ‘Add Card’ and follow the instructions to add your preferred credit card to your Apple Watch’s Apple Pay.

iPhone? How To Use Apple Pay

If you’re using an iPhone to pay at an Apple Pay supported store, follow these steps:

1. First, double-click on the right side button of your iPhone.
2. Next, look at your iPhone’s screen if you’re using Face ID, put your finger on the home sensor if you’re using Touch ID, or enter your passcode.
3. Finally, hold your iPhone over the contactless point of sale reader, which is the machine you’d normally put your credit card into. Keep holding it until you hear a ping, see a green checkmark on the payment reader, or see a checkmark plus the word ‘Done’ on your iPhone’s screen. That’s it!

Apple Watch? How To Use Apple Pay 

If you’re using an Apple Watch to pay with Apple Pay at a store, follow these steps:

1. First, double-tap the side button on the right of the dial.
2. Next, enter your passcode if prompted.
3. Finally, hold your Apple Watch over the contactless payment reader until the payment is complete. That’s it!

Final Thoughts

It’s disappointing that Sam’s Club doesn’t accept Apple Pay (or Google Pay). However, we hope that they’ll offer it as a payment option in the future. Apple Pay would be a safe and convenient way to pay inside Sam’s Club, through the Sam’s Club App, or on their website.